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| Re: 1981 News Report: Grumman-Flxible 870 Cracked A-Frame Problems (219406) | |||
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Re: 1981 News Report: Grumman-Flxible 870 Cracked A-Frame Problems |
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Posted by New Flyer D40LF 4050 on Thu Jan 6 18:18:20 2011, in response to Re: 1981 News Report: Grumman-Flxible 870 Cracked A-Frame Problems, posted by RailBus63 on Thu Jan 6 10:09:49 2011. >>>What eventually ‘did in’ the RTS and the Flxible was the decision by those manufacturers to put all of their eggs in the ADB basket.<<<How so, by focusing on one bus model? That had been the standard practice of GM and Flxible for the past two decades prior to the introduction of the ADBs. Why should it have changed? The ABDs were the future and had innovations that are standard in today's modern buses. It only made sense for them to focus on that model. Bus manufacturing is a money losing operation; why would they introduce several different models? >>>Many transit agencies considered both the RTS and the 870/Metro to be overbuilt, over-designed, expensive ‘Cadillacs’ and were not happy that the Feds were pushing the Advanced Design Buses on them.<<< Proof? The only transit agencies that rebelled en masse were the Canadian transit agencies. All major American cities purchased the ADB buses, in multiple orders, even after "lower cost" competition was introduced. And how were the buses overbuilt? Compared to a GM New Look? By that logic, a New Look was overbuilt and over designed in comparison to an Old Look. >>>Flyer got its foot in the door in the United States selling its proven D800 and D900-series bus and GM-Canada soon followed with its New Look and Classic. Gillig and Orion in particular found a niche in building a basic bus that fulfilled the needs of small and medium-sized transit operators and was less expensive both to purchase and to operate. <<< Flyer, Orion and Gillig were pretty much non-factors until the early to mid 90s. The RTS and Flxible had penetrated all of the Amnerican markets throughout the 80s, from small system to the mammoth systems like NYCTA or LACMTA. The GM Canada and New Looks, while of course a sweet spot for older bus fans, were a blip on the radar. There have been over 20,000 RTS buses built, hardly a rejection of the ADB design. >>>Also, you shouldn’t harp on the rust problems of early Neoplans without also acknowledging that many transit agencies who bought the early 01 and 03 RTS’s had numerous problems with them. I remember one summer Saturday in 1982 when I visited Providence on a busfanning trip and happily discovered that RIPTA had pulled its entire fleet of 1978 RTS’s off the road for some problem or another and was running only New Look buses that day.<<< Neoplans had build issues all through their life span. Wasn't it Baltimore or Boston that had a major issue with a few hundred Neoplans recently? And I did mention the early RTS teething issues. None of those resulted in a massive recall however and a moderate groups= of the inferior 03 model lasted well past the 15-20 year mark. |
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